Integrating Positive Psychology, Religion/Spirituality, and a Virtue Focus Within Culturally Responsive Mental Healthcare

Abstract

AbstractAlthough both positive psychology and religious/spiritual traditions share a common focus on human strengths and holistic development, in mental healthcare, there has been little systematic integration of these fields. In this chapter, we overview key terms and synthesize meta-analytic evidence for spiritually integrated interventions (SIIs), positive psychology interventions (PPIs), and virtue-based interventions (VBIs). Through the lens of virtue ethics, we propose that growth in virtuousness fosters flourishing, which consists of more than the absence of psychological distress and includes greater well-being, meaning in life, relational maturity, and community contribution. We detail a research prospectus guided by virtue ethics to support the development of an integrated line of applied clinical research. In particular, we call for practice-based studies that attend to diversity and equity considerations and address reductionistic misapplications of virtue (which we call virtue bypass). Finally, we discuss innovative clinical and community applications, including the utility of a dialectical and contextual perspective, the need to consider both individual and communal flourishing, and the potential for communities as intervention sites.